Jammu had no international border infiltration in the previous year: BSF officer

The BSF's Inspector General (IG), D K Boora, confirmed on Tuesday that the force had been successful in keeping the peace along the International Border (IB) in the Jammu frontier and that there had been no reports of infiltration along the Pakistani border in the previous year.

He claimed there has been a notable decline in the quantity of events involving drone drops.

“There was no infiltration along the IB in the past one year. There have been two to three attempted infiltrations, all neutralised in successful operations. Vigilant troops thwarted three Pakistani smugglers attempting to violate the IB to smuggle narcotics into the Indian territory,” Boora told reporters.

In reference to drone activities, he stated that during the previous year, there has been a discernible decrease. He linked this to the elimination of a drone-based smuggling network earlier this year.

“A big gang connected with drone-based smuggling was busted earlier this year. There is almost nil activity of drones along the IB in Jammu. There has to be someone to collect the material dropped by drones from across the border. That network has been busted by police and terrorists sympathisers have been arrested,” the Border Security Force (BSF) officer said.

He emphasized that no one who lives close to the border is involved in any of these activities.

In terms of recent ceasefire violations, Boora stated that three such occurrences occurred along the IB, to which the BSF replied with a "befitting reply," inflicting serious losses on Pakistan.

He stated that the ceasefire is not intended to drive terrorists into India, but rather for another reason that cannot be revealed publicly.

Boora emphasized the border-guarding force's challenges in 2023, including drone activity, unjustified firing, and smuggling attempts, and praised the BSF, Jammu for successfully coping with them.

On terror launchpads along the IB, the officer stated that the BSF keeps vigilant in order to effectively seal the border.

“The year 2023 witnessed manifold challenges … like drone activities, unprovoked firing and smuggling attempts. But true to its tradition, the BSF-Jammu thwarted all attempts of the adversary and foiled its nefarious designs,” he added.

Regarding the smart fencing and anti-drone setup initiatives, Boora stated that they are nearly finished.

In response to inquiries about tunnels, he stated that there had been no information in the previous year about terrorists using tunnels. He emphasized the need to avert such scenarios by using both technology and manual procedures.

When questioned about the likelihood of airstrikes akin to those carried out by Hamas against Israel, Boora assured that any such mischievous activity would be met with appropriate retaliation.

In reference to farming along the IB, he stated that farmers are currently cultivating 20% of the ground forward of the border fence.